Due to safety regulations chainsaws are equipped with a brake arrangement for stopping the movement of the chain if a kick back occurs. A front hand guard releases the kick back brake when pivoted. This may occur when the user's forehand hits the hand guard or due to the inertia of the hand guard from a rapid kickback. U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,054 shows an example of a chainsaw having a hand guard activated kick back brake.
Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,750. Chainsaws such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,750 are referred to as top handle saws. A top handle chainsaw is mainly used in trees in combination with a climbing harness or in a skylift. The saw is then used in different positions for example pruning branches. To prevent unnecessary damage to the tree it is desirable to have a good sight on the cutting equipment in all positions. A hand guard may disturb the view presented to the user of the area in which the chainsaw is to be used.
Sometimes the chainsaw is tied to a rope to hoist the saw to the desired location. In such situations a problem that may occur is that objects such as twigs or branches may get stuck in the hand guard and thereby cause damage to the tree or hindering the hoisting process. Twigs may also get stuck in other situations when operating the chainsaw. This is undesirable.
There is therefore a need for arranging a motor driven chainsaw with a hand guard that does not unduly hinder the user from viewing the work area while also reducing the risk of the saw getting stuck or unnecessary damage the tree when in use or during hoisting.